Both of my parents grew up during the Depression and felt the pangs of not having food on the table. Security meant the world to them, which meant that I was going to be a teacher, engineer, civil service worker--anything that offered abundant job opportunities. In our house, the word "entertainer" was a surefire, E-ticket ride out the door. When I told them I wanted to be a performer, they opened the front door of our home wide. "Come back when you get some sense," were their last spoken words as my butt hit the street.